I don't think you could have missed anything. I'm pretty sure we're told nothing about Annie Morrison - she's just mentioned in the note. That's an interesting idea of yours that she's William's mother. I suppose it could be argued that the Cunninghams would in that case have simply referred to her as "your mother". And you might expect her to be called "Mrs. Kirwan". But then again, she might have remarried (or never been married), and Alec Cunningham might have referred to her in this disrespectful way in order to show contempt for her and her son.
Well, we have that explanation in the story: "Why on earth should two men write a letter in such a fashion?" "Obviously the business was a bad one, and one of the men who distrusted the other was determined that, whatever was done, each should have an equal hand in it."
I suppose the murder was Alec Cunningham's idea, and he was the one who actually carried out the crime. I assume he wanted his father to write the note with him so he would be equally complicit in the crime. So Cunningham Senior wouldn't go to the police if his conscience got too much for him. I think Alec Cunningham could have got his father to write the note on his own, but them writing the note together is a subtler bit of manipulation. It leaves the father feeling part of the crime, rather than someone bullied by the murderer into helping. Which again means there's less chance he'll go to the police.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-06-15 10:20 pm (UTC)Well, we have that explanation in the story: "Why on earth should two men write a letter in such a fashion?" "Obviously the business was a bad one, and one of the men who distrusted the other was determined that, whatever was done, each should have an equal hand in it."
I suppose the murder was Alec Cunningham's idea, and he was the one who actually carried out the crime. I assume he wanted his father to write the note with him so he would be equally complicit in the crime. So Cunningham Senior wouldn't go to the police if his conscience got too much for him. I think Alec Cunningham could have got his father to write the note on his own, but them writing the note together is a subtler bit of manipulation. It leaves the father feeling part of the crime, rather than someone bullied by the murderer into helping. Which again means there's less chance he'll go to the police.